New York Times, Tuesday, November 23, 2021

I had this idea a couple of years ago, but I wasn't happy with anyone to go alongside BARRY BONDS and JOHNNY CASH. I looked for people with Gold as a last name, but I wasn't sure if any of them were famous enough.

A year later, I figured the next best thing was a person whose last name was Silver. I debated whether to use ADAM or Nate. I knew that someone who didn't know either would at least know the NBA but might not know FiveThirtyEight. However, if I were doing this today, I would have chosen Nate to provide more variety in the celebrities' fields.

At least Nate and the Golds can rest easy knowing that Eddie Money didn't make it in either.

I hope you enjoyed solving!

I love PERSONAL FINANCE. I help some friends and family manage their finances, taking delight in freeing them from 1% annual asset management fees. Sometimes it's comforting to pay a professional to assume responsibility, but 1% annually — often, upwards of 2%! — is such a burden on long-term returns.

Great theme idea, highlighting people whose names involve an asset class. BONDS, definitely. CASH, yes. A shame that John STOCKton doesn't quite work.

Also, a shame that SILVER is rarely seen in PERSONAL FINANCE discussions. It's a reasonable idea to allocate a small percentage of assets to "alternatives," which include real estate, private equity, hedge funds, collectibles, commodities. And if someone's insistent on allocating a portion to commodities, it's almost always gold.

Eric's point is well-taken. Would ARI GOLD have been a good addition? ANDREW GOLD, the guy who wrote the "Golden Girls" theme song? Probably no and no.

If you have to accept a trade-off in themers, relaxing consistency might have been interesting. (Get it? Interest-ing? As in, interest on an investment ... fine, I'll stop.) Jeff GOLDblum? Singular James BOND? Brian CASHman? Feels like there's some solution.

I'd have also loved the revealer lower in the puzzle, to not give away the game so early. While some folks adore themer interlock, generating a bigger a-ha moment is more important. This could have been achieved by putting all the people at the top of the puzzle, and PERSONAL FINANCE in row 12.

Smooth grid, though, which can be difficult given the interlocking themers.